


Unseen

by Maaiams



Series: Summer of Lost Dreams [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Crushes, Fairy Tale Curses, Friendship, Happy Ending, M/M, Minecraft, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Unexplained Magic, no beta we die like george in manhunt, why am I writing a fic about minecraft youtubers help
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25318132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maaiams/pseuds/Maaiams
Summary: What was meant to be an easy quest in a woodland mansion goes wrong and the encounter with its magical inhabitants leaves Dream cursed so that anyone who sees his face will instantly fall in love with him. Now it’s up to George to save his best friend before the curse turns deadly. Can he break the curse without his own feelings getting in the way?watch till the end to find outA realistic medieval minecraft au that I haven't really thought out too well. This is mostly about exploring the relationship between Dream and George because I think they have a very beautiful friendship.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Summer of Lost Dreams [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913497
Comments: 111
Kudos: 701





	1. Evoker

**Author's Note:**

> A note about shipping: This is a story about the online personas/characters portrayed Minecraft Youtubers Dream and Georgenotfound. I know it says "Video Blogging RPF" in the fandoms tag but this is in no way a story about their real-life counterparts. If either of them express discomfort at shipping I will happily take this down. I wrote this because I thought it was a nice story, and I thought I would share it with other people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For everyone coming here from my newer stuff, just a warning that my writing here isn't as great as my current works because this was my first fic. The plot however is probably the most shippy of all my works.

They had walked into the dark oak mansion without much thought. Not that they needed to, Dream was the best fighter in the kingdom (after the king, of course) and George was just as good of a hunter. They had killed countless monsters together during their quests to defeat the ender dragon, so what were a few more pillagers to them?

The prickling tendrils of doubt first began to take root in George’s mind the minute the mob he had assumed to be a pillager lifted an axe and charged him with an angry HRMM!. Then George came to the frightening realization that they had made a horrible mistake. Caught off guard, he could only scream. “DREEEEEEAM!”

His friend had disappeared down one of the dark hallways, the flash of his sword and sounds of fighting the only things telling him that he was still alive.

"There’s a– there’s a MAN with an AXE!” he started to run, only for the not-pillager to chase after him, "OH MY GOD HE’S COMING FOR ME– AAAH HE’S SO FAST _FU_ –“

The rest of his words were cut off by the solid THUNK! of an axe on wood. George dropped the splintered remains of his shield and caught the next blow of the axe on his sword. “DREEEEAM!” he screamed again, his arms shaking with effort as the grey-skinned creature pressed down with all its might.

The whistle of a sword through the air announced the arrival of his friend, if the wheezing that followed didn’t. A grey head tumbled to the ground.

“Dream, that's not funny.” George said, giving the head a kick as Dream struggled for breath. “You would run too if you saw that thing charge at you.”

“It’s just a mob, George.” Dream chuckled. He lifted his mask to wipe a droplet of blood, but he only succeeded in smearing it across the white surface. “C’mon, let’s keep going. They said the big bad was upstairs, and he’s the one we want.”

“Wait, we should stop and heal for a bit.” George said, eyeing the wreckage of his shield. Thank goodness he'd finally remembered to use it. He looked down the two long hallways that branched off from the entrance. Apparently Dream had killed all the other… _things_...while he’d been running from the axe-wielding one. “We don’t know what we’ve just walked into, we should be more careful.”

“You mean _you_ should be more careful." Dream swung his sword around aimlessly. It was stained with the blood of a thousand ender dragons, giving the dark blade a violet glow. “Hurry up.”

“Shut up and let me eat this bread.” George said, wolfing down an entire loaf. He wasn’t hungry, but he wasn’t going to take any chances now that he’d encountered a mob he’d never seen before.

“Then eat faster.” Dream shoved the sword into his belt. “I’ll wait for you upstairs.”

Before he could react, his friend dashed up one of the ominous red staircases.

“Wait!” George yelled through a mouthful of bread. He quickly shoved the remainder into his bag and chased after his friend.

Upon reaching the second floor he immediately tripped over a body. It was another one of those axe-wielding pillagers. Beyond it was a trail of blood (not human blood, he noted with relief) and the smoking remains of a creeper. George followed the trail of dead mobs down the hallway, sword at the ready in case anything else spawned. Finally he caught a flash of green, the tattered edge of Dream's cloak flapping in the darkness. How did he manage to get so far in such a short amount of time? He turned the corner and finally caught sight of Dream taking out another one of those axe-wielding things. The hallway leading up to him was similarly littered with grey-skinned bodies. Did he ever mention how much of a nightmare Dream was with that sword of his?

Dream finished the mob off with a twirl of his sword, its head falling clean off its body. “Took you long enough.” he huffed as George ran up to him.

“Shut up.” he snapped, brushing past him. “Now where’s this idiot we’re supposed to get?”

They searched through several more rooms together, George finally taking out some mobs himself and mending his pride. Dream only laughed.

Finally they entered a long room with what seemed to be an altar in the center. They had barely crossed the threshold before a line of jaws shot up from the ground, snapping shut just inches away from their feet.

“Ground spikes!” George screamed just as Dream yelled, “Gators!”

“Stop going on about those things, Dream," George said, dodging another attack. They seemed to come from another one of those pillagers, though this one was dressed in a gold-trimmed robe. It raised its arms in the air and made a “wololo” sound. Another line of jaws burst from the ground, forcing Dream and George to scatter. “They’re not real!”

“Yes they are!” Dream insisted, slashing at the jaws, “Now shut up and run in a zigzag. That’s how you escape alligators.” He zipped to one side as the jaws snapped at him again, darting and weaving between the line and managing to land a hit on the robed pillager. It raised its arms and sent out a radial blast of jaws. Dream fell back in line with George, breathing hard and sword bloodied.

“So you’re telling me that somewhere out there there exists a small, green ender dragon.” he said, sarcasm dripping heavily from his words.

“Small, green, and _wingless._ ” Dream corrected, shoving him out of the way as another line of jaws snapped up between them. “I got to sit on one when I was a kid.”

By then the robed pillager seemed to decide that the jaws had no effect on them and raised its arms in a new attack. Several ghostly blue mobs appeared, armed with swords and wicked little smiles. They immediately swooped down on Dream and George, showering them with hits. Instinctively the two friends put their backs together, protecting each other’s most vulnerable side.

“What the heck are these flying things?” Dream parried a strike from a creature, knocking it away with a flick of his wrist. It cackled at him before diving down with one of its friends. “Ow! God I hate them!” he clutched the new slash on his shoulder, “They’re so hard to hit!”

“You’re just bad, Dream,” George swept his sword in an arc, fending off two that had tried to rush him at the same time. Then another phased straight through the wall, cutting his arm and nearly making him drop his sword in shock, “AAAAH! It just, _nyoomed_ through a wall!”

“Nyoomed?” Dream chuckled, finishing the creature off before it could land another hit on George.

“Yeah, I didn’t even know things could do that.” he checked the slash on his arm. It wasn’t bleeding too badly so he raised his sword again, “What is _with_ all these new mobs today?”

“Ha! That proves my point exactly!” Dream’s dark blade flew through a little mob, scattering it into dust. “If whatever these things are can exist, then so can alligators!”

“Yeah but these things are– Oh look out!” George pushed Dream out of the way just as a line of jaws snapped up from the floor. They had completely forgotten about the robed pillager. “I’ll get the stupid fairies and you get the grey man.”

“It’s called an Evoker, I think.” Dream slashed through another flying thing as he raced to attack the Evoker. With his back turned, two of the creatures attacking George took the opportunity to rush after him.

George quickly caught up to them and stabbed each through the back. “Whatever, just stop it from…evoking." He turned and batted the final one with his sword. It stuck its tongue out at him and floated out of reach, leaving him jumping after it.

Dream leapt over another circle of jaws, slashing the Evoker across the chest. “Short.”

“Shut up.” George snapped, kicking off the altar and successfully swatting the annoying creature with his sword. It let out a high-pitched shriek and exploded into red particles. “I’m average height for my age.”

“What, you mean other twelve year olds?” Dream briefly glanced away from the Evoker to smirk at him.

Sensing his distraction, the Evoker raised its arms, incanting in its strange language.

“If I’m twelve then you’re–” George suddenly felt the hairs on his arm stand on end as the air grew charged.

“NO!” Dream yelled, throwing his sword. “George watch ou–”

_BOOM!_

The room exploded with light and sound. A bolt of lightning engulfed Dream in a pillar of light, shattering the solitary window above the altar in a spectacular roar of glass and setting fire to the walls. Though the blinding haze, George heard him scream.

“DREEEEEAM!” he cried back, an ear-splitting shriek that would have shattered glass if not for the initial blast of lightning.

Then the light faded, vanishing as quickly as it came. The Evoker’s body tumbled to the ground, Dream’s sword still quivering in its chest.

There were spots in his vision, and briefly George wondered why the world appeared in muted tones before he realized his glasses had been torn from his face. There was no time to go looking for them, not when Dream was in danger. He caught sight of a spot of yellow and gasped.

Dream laid spread-eagled on the ground, his clothes smoking and hair singed. Most concerningly, his eyes were closed and he didn’t move, not even to take in a breath. George was at his side in an instant, hurriedly put out the glowing embers around him before putting an ear to his chest. For a terrifying moment, he heard nothing. Then came the strong rhythm of a beating heart and he breathed a short sigh of relief. He began checking Dream for wounds, searching for anything potentially life-threatening. It was hard to look for blood when he couldn’t really see red, but he was relieved to find only cuts and slashes, nothing too deep.

There was movement under his eyelids as he finished, and George suddenly realised Dream’s face was exposed, the blast having also blown his mask clean off. It laid a few feet away, its white wood now scuffed and blackened. George hurriedly picked it up and placed it on his chest, leaving it close by for his friend when he awoke. He knew Dream liked wearing his mask, but it would be too dangerous for him to put it back on until he was sure he regained consciousness.

“Um, Dream?” he called, gently shaking his friend. When he didn’t respond, he shook a bit harder. “Dream, wake up.”

Dream grumbled under his continued abuse, golden eyes that he knew to be green fluttering open. They had a glazed look to them, staring at nothing before finally focusing on him. His lips moved, as if trying to form words.

“What?” George leaned closer.

“Am I– am I in heaven?” Dream uttered, blinking blearily at him.

George laughed in relief, “No, you’re still alive dumbass.”

“Darn.” he mumbled.

“Why?”

Dream cracked a smile, his golden eyes twinkling, “ ‘Cause I swore I saw an angel.”

George rolled his eyes. “That explosion must have really rattled your brains around because there’s no one here but–”

_Me_.

Heat flared in his cheeks as the implications of what Dream said finally hit him. He sputtered, flying through way too many emotions before settling for indignation. “What the _hell_ Dream! The first thing you do after nearly dying is _flirt_ with me?”

Dream wheezed a laugh, then actually wheezed when the motion jostled his injuries. His look of pain reminded him that it wasn’t over yet.

“Stop being an idiot and stay still for once.” George dug into his bag for regeneration potions, pushing aside loaves of bread and several now-wilted flowers that Dream had picked for him on their way there. Seeing their bright petals only widened the growing pit of worry in his stomach. Finally his hand closed around the neck of a potion bottle and he hastily removed it from his bag. His hands shook as he uncorked it and passed it to Dream. Thankfully his friend was well enough to drink it himself.

While Dream took the potion George stood up and looked around the room, searching for his glasses. He was so absorbed with his task that he didn’t hear the thud of dropped glass against wood, nor did he feel the empty bottle roll over to tap against his feet.

“George.” Dream said quietly.

George froze. It was the softest, quietest uttering of his name. Usually they preferred screaming each other’s names at the top of their lungs, but when one of them went quiet...

He rushed to his side. Unlike how he had been just moments before, Dream's face was pale and his eyes glazed. The pit of worry in his stomach widened to an abyss, its yawning mouth threatening to devour his heart. “Dream no- No no no! But the potion-"

“Shush.” Dream weakly took his hands and squeezed them. George held on tightly, but his hands continued to grow colder. “I love you George,” he said with a peaceful smile on his face. His eyes fluttered closed.

“I–“ George choked on the words in his mouth. Despite the dire circumstances, he felt his face begin to burn. Should he tell him? The words always came so easily for Dream. He knew they did because he really didn’t mean them, at least not in _that_ sense. But the minute George said them himself, Dream would know them to be true. “I–“ tears began to prick his eyes.

The peaceful smile on Dream’s face twitched. It was a small movement, but George caught it instantly.

The _bastard_. 

It wasn’t a small and peaceful smile anymore. No, it was wide and beaming as Dream finally failed at keeping a straight face.

“What the _FUCK_ Dream!” George shrieked in indignation, concern for his friend instantly morphing into anger as Dream dissolved into a wheezing fit. “I literally thought you were dying!” He smacked his shoulder, trusting that the regen had finally kicked in.

“Ow!” Dream rolled away from him, clutching his shoulder, “That’s where one of the flying things hit me!”

“Whatever Dream, go cry about it for all I care.” George fumed, furious at Dream for playing with his emotions and himself for falling for it. And for him.

“But you were worried.” Dream said smugly. “Admit it George you were worried.”

“Of course I was worried!” he threw his hands in the air, “You’re my best friend! No one wants to watch their best friend _die_.”

“I almost got you to say it!” he boasted, “I almost got you to say it back!”

“Then you and your stupid ass couldn’t keep your mouth shut.”

Dream sat up. “Oh so you were gonna-“

“No.” he turned away, using the excuse of looking for his glasses to hide his face from Dream. He finally caught sight of them lying by the doorway and went to pick them up. Their lenses were slightly scratched but he shoved them on his face anyway. Anything to hide his growing blush. “As _if.”_

“Admit it George, you love me.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“I hate you.”

“Oh Georgeeeee~"

“Dream, if you don’t shut up this moment I’m leaving your sorry ass behind for the mobs to find."

“Oh Georgie you wouldn’t-”

“Call me that one more time and we’ll see.” George crossed his arms, pinning him with a stare.

Dream sighed, “Fine, help me up.”

George smiled, seeing that he had won the argument, and went over to where Dream was propped up on his elbows. He grabbed his least injured looking arm and carefully eased him to his feet. Dream wobbled a bit, but George quickly steadied him with a shoulder, allowing the taller to lean on him.

Dream squinted his eyes against the bright light coming in from the broken window. “Ow.” He lifted his mask to his face and fumbled with the straps. 

“Here, let me. You okay to stand on your own?” When Dream nodded he slowly slid himself out from under his shoulder, freeing up both his hands. Then while Dream held the mask up to his face, he did the straps. “You probably got a minor concussion when your head hit the floor.”

“Ugh it’s still too bright.” Dream groaned, his voice slightly muffled behind the mask. “Can you- can you also get my hood?” he asked sheepishly. 

“You are a literal baby. What’re you gonna do next, ask me to tie your shoes?” George smirked as he grabbed the hood of his cloak and tried to throw it over his head. When Dream proved too tall to do so, he ended up standing on his tippy toes and pulled the dark green fabric down so that it cast his face in shadow. His own face flushed with embarrassment and he prayed that Dream didn’t notice, but he did.

“Short.” Dream teased.

George pretended he didn’t hear the affection in his voice. “Calling me short nearly got you killed, idiot.”

“But I’m not dead and you’re still short.” Dream wandered over to the dead Evoker, planting a foot on its chest and retrieving his sword. With a practiced motion he cleaved off the head and rolled it into a bag. Then he dug around on the body for a moment before tossing something at George.

“Here.”

George caught it. It was a little gold figurine of a villager, sitting solid and heavy in his hands. “What is this? Some sort of consolation prize?”

“Totem of undying. You deserve it.” he coughed, sounding slightly guilty for a moment, “for uh, everything.”

He stared at its emerald eyes for a moment, processing what Dream had said, “You’re telling me, that all along there was a magical object that could’ve brought anyone back from the dead and you decided to pretend to die on me? Do you realize how much worse that would have been for me if you _had_ died and for me to find out that I could have saved you?”

“Aww, glad to hear that you love me, Georgie.” Dream threw an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

Instantly his brain stopped working, leaving his sharp retort to die on his lips.

“Let’s head back before I really do need to use this on you.” he grumbled, settling on that instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going off of their videos I'm assuming Dream and George have only ever seen pillagers so they wouldn't know about other types of Illagers. Also evokers can't summon lightning but that's a plot device :)
> 
> Also I know this author's note is getting f a t but I'm going to keep going because I don’t think you’re aware of the amount of mental gymnastics I had to go through to convince myself to write this. I had the story and several major scenes all planned out in my head at least a month ago, which usually is a clear sign to me that I’m ready to put it down on paper. Problem is, I simply couldn’t bring myself to write a fic about Minecraft Youtubers because I still wasn’t too sure how I felt about using characters based off of real people. One night as I fell asleep I had the brilliant idea to write the story but with different names (so if you see some random name with no context, please tell me. Find and replace didn’t do its job :/). It was pretty awesome when I finally replaced the names and the story read even better, and that's what convinced me to finally post it. It honestly feels kinda weird writing Minecraft fanfiction in 2020. The last time I wrote a Minecraft fanfiction was 2014, and it was just all the random stories I came up with in my old creative world.


	2. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice interlude before the plot really gets going :)

The entire way back George badgered him about being more careful.

“–and it’s not just digging straight down without a care in the world, every time we’re in the Nether you go skipping around seeing how close you can get to the edge of a cliff before I freak out.”

The sun was setting behind them, casting the white city walls in a vibrant orange as they approached.

“You’re always like, ‘Oh, I’m Dream I hit pigmen for fun now watch me parkour over a lava lake.’” he mocked, waving his hands around. “Then the pigmen come after _me_ and _I_ have to deal with–”

Suddenly he realized how silent Dream had been. Usually by now he would’ve interrupted him with a scathing remark or something.

George turned to look at his friend. While his face remained covered by his mask, its white surface was scuffed and blackened. What he could see of his dirty blond hair was frazzled and stuck up at odd angles, their tips singed. Dream’s entire body language conveyed exhaustion, his shoulders slumped and his clothes burnt and torn in some places. 

“You okay?” George said, his voice softer with concern.

Dream lifted his head. “Yeah. Just tired.” After a brief silence he added, “and tingly.”

“Tingly.” George repeated.

“Like there’s still lightning inside me.”

“Inch-resting.” he hummed. “I wouldn’t suggest touching metal objects for the rest of the week.”

They stopped at the city gates and George waved at a guard on top of the wall. He watched the man hesitate for a moment, taking in their bedraggled appearance, before finally opening the gate.

He realized he must look just as bad as Dream, but then again he wasn’t the one struck by lightning. As they passed through the long archway, he put a hand on Dream’s shoulder. He hoped it wasn’t his injured one. “Why don’t you head back? I’ll go turn this stupid head in.”

His friend visibly brightened. George knew there was a smile behind that mask.

“Don’t claim all the money for yourself, okay?”

“Mmmm can’t promise that.” he shook his head, “How about a ten-ninety split?”

“What, I get ninety and you get ten? Sounds like a plan.”

George shoved him. “No idiot, I did all the work. Twenty-eighty.”

“Then I get eighty. I got struck by lightning.”

They reached the fork in the road, George splitting off towards the castle while Dream headed to the center of town.

“Just promise me you’ll go straight to bed.” George called before his friend could be swallowed up by the evening crowd, “I better not come back and find you staying up doing something stupid."

“Okay, _mom_.”

George would be glad to know that Dream did indeed go home, wash up, and immediately fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A question for you guys. When I update already posted chapters, does it send you a notification? I’m still trying to figure out how to use this site and I’m sorry if I’ve been spamming you with emails every time I go back to fix a tiny error.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Seen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold, an ace/aro attempting to write romance. If you’re uncomfortable with the most _basic_ pick up lines ever please don’t read.
> 
> Now that we’ve gotten into the plot I guess it’s time to list the fics this was inspired by:  
> [Gonna Be Around](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24454714) by bunnyyuuu  
> [Leaps and Bounds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144243) by ToodleOfDeeth  
> [Dream Boy](https://www.wattpad.com/story/225733537-dream-boy) by Cloud 
> 
> Maybe that’ll give you a hint of where this story’s going ;)

The next morning Dream woke up feeling refreshed. When he checked himself in the mirror, most of the injuries he’d received from the fight yesterday were gone thanks to the regeneration potion. All that was left was a zig-zagging, branched scar that started from the left side of his neck and ran down to his collarbone. He’d heard about people getting scars from lightning and while the experience itself was painful, he thought it ultimately looked pretty cool.

He left his room and went to see if George was up yet, but the door to his room was still closed. Dream smiled. If he was quick, he could run down to the market and buy freshly-picked apples for George before he woke up.

He stepped into the main living space of their loft, his footsteps quiet on the wooden floor. There was a small kitchen in the corner, a solitary couch in the middle, and a table with four chairs under the windows overlooking the street. Beyond it was a wooden balcony too small to actually stand in. Most of the time they just leaned on the railings, silently enjoying each other’s company while observing the busy street below. It had been a bit cramped when they first shared the loft together with Sapnap, but after he left to move in with his girlfriend it was the perfect size for Dream and George.

He caught sight of several bright flowers sitting in a glass of water on the table, the same ones that he’d picked for George while they’d trekked through the dark forest yesterday. Beside them sat a pouch of coins, their reward for taking down the Evoker. Dream picked it up, hefting it in his hand. Under it was a slip of paper.

_Twenty percent for the idiot_. it said in George’s neat handwriting.

Dream wheezed quietly. From the weight in his hand, he’d say it was closer to fifty. He slipped it into a pouch on his belt and ran down the narrow stairs to the street, throwing on his cloak as he went.

He quietly slipped outside, putting up his hood to shield against the bright morning light. There was a noticeable absence of weight on his face where his mask should have been, but he’d found that wearing it within the city walls tended to unnerve the ordinary people who lived there. He kept it for when he was out on quests and it was best to appear as a soulless monster rather than the sensitive person he was behind it. It made the job easier and kept him from being recognized if it was a more clandestine situation.

Still, a couple of people who glanced in his direction stopped dead in their tracks and stared as he passed. He only pulled his hood down and walked slightly faster. He knew he had a bit of a reputation as the deadliest fighter after the king, but he didn’t think that so many people would recognize him.

Finally, the red tarps of the apple stand came into view. He hopped into line, drawing a few more curious eyes, and purchased four apples and a bottle of juice. He knew George liked dipping apples into apple juice, like the nasty little freak he was.

As he paid for the apples and juice, the apple seller winked at him. “I’ll throw in an extra one for a kiss.” she said, twirling an apple in her long fingers. He didn’t know how she managed to make it look so...suggestive.

“Haha thanks, but I only need four.” he hoped the excuse didn’t sound too awkward as he backed away. In his haste he accidentally tripped over another customer.

“Watch it-” the man began, annoyance written across his face as he helped him back up. Then he got a good look at Dream and his expression shifted into a more sultry one, “Hey gorgeous, looks like you really fell for me there.”

“Sorry I– _what_?” Dream wheezed in disbelief, his voice shooting up several pitches “ _WHAT?_ ”

The man looked confused. “I said, you really–”

“No!” Dream turned away, pulling his hood down and holding onto it tightly with both hands as he hurried through the crowd. He turned into a deserted alleyway and stopped for a breather, face flushed. What was going on? People were staring at him all morning and then he got hit on _twice_ in a row? By beauty standards he wasn’t considered particularly handsome, especially since his face was marred by scars he’d picked up during his adventures. He liked to think his self-assessment was pretty accurate since he was confident with his appearance and knew he was just a typical blond guy. Did something happen between now and yesterday to change that?

Well there was that Evoker—but there was no way he could have gotten cursed. It didn’t have that power.

Then he remembered the bolt of lightning, both the searing pain and the weird tingling feeling afterwards that had stuck to him no matter how hard he tried to wash it off last night. He’d assumed it was a side effect from being struck with lightning, but it seemed to be magical in nature now.

“Well _fu_ –” he began, then caught himself. “Muffins.” He needed to get home. He needed to get home and put on his mask and never take it off again until he figured out if he was actually cursed or it was all just an elaborate joke that somehow the entire city was in on. (Actually he wouldn’t put it past the king to do that, that man didn’t know what too far meant).

Dream peeked around the corner of the alleyway and cursed again. It was midmorning now, and the streets were busier than ever. He pulled the cowl of his cloak as far down as possible, obscuring most of his face but effectively blinding himself. He lifted it back up a bit with a sigh, deciding it was better to not fall on people again and risk another bad pickup line than to cover himself fully. Never had he wished more for the safety of his mask.

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Oh _shit_!” he jumped away from the girl who’d approached him. His time was up, he’d stayed in one place for too long. Before she could get another word in he was gone, dashing down the street as fast as the crowd would let him. But he still wasn’t fast enough, in the corner of his eye he saw several people trailing him, having caught sight of his face as he got jostled.

He lifted his arms up, pushing and shoving to squeeze through the crowd. His increase in speed cost him dearly as it only exposed more of his face in his haste to escape. Just at the end of the street he could see the worn wooden door that would lead up to his loft. To safety.

Something closed around the edge of his cloak and pulled. He felt his hood slipping. Frantically, he bunched the fabric up in his hands and yanked sharply, tugging it free. Gathering up the rest of his cloak he dashed the last few feet to the door and forced it open. He threw himself in and slammed it shut with a loud _BANG!_ , rattling the entire building. Then he braced himself against the door, breathing heavily.

A head poked over the railing. “What the _hell_ was that, Dream?” George said, glowering down at him. “Can’t you shut the door quietly like a normal person?”

“AH!” he jumped, throwing the end of his cloak over his head, “Don’t look at me! Stay away!”

There was the sound of footsteps as George made his way down to him.

“Why?” His friend said, curiously removing the cloak from his hands, “I see your ugly face every day, there’s no need to spare me the misfortune.”

“No you don’t understand I’m _cursed_!” Dream snatched the fabric back and began trying to smother himself with it again, “I went outside and I got hit on _twice_. _Twice_! Everyone was falling head over heels for me!” A thought suddenly occurred to him and he lowered the cloak to peek at George. “It’s not working.”

“What’s not working?”

“It’s not working on you. You’re supposed to instantly fall in love with me the minute you see me.”

George scoffed, “As _if_.”

“Wait, do you seriously not feel anything?” He dropped the end of his cloak, letting it fall back behind him. “Look at me George.”

George looked at him.

Vibrant green eyes pierced his as Dream cocked an eyebrow and grinned roguishly. “Do you feel anything now?”

_Yes_. He wanted to say. Yes yes yes and _more_. If Dream rejected him he could play it off as an effect of the curse, but at the same time he felt like that would be taking advantage of his friend’s plight. Dream needed his help, and he wasn’t going to let his stupid feelings get in the way. George mercilessly crushed his rising blush with practiced ease, stamping it down and shoving it into the deep, dark depths of his heart. “Is this your idea of flirting, Dream?”

“Yes! Wait no. Is the curse really not working?” The look of utter relief on his friend’s face easily justified the sacrifice he just made many times over. Dream grabbed his shoulders and shook him, “George do you realize what this means? You’re immune to the curse! I’m saved!” Then he snickered, “I bet it’s cause you’re colorblind.” he made a swipe at his glasses.

“Fuck off, Dream.” George successfully blocked his attack, “or I’m going to dump you on the streets.”

“No George, you gotta help me!” he grabbed his arm and pulled him up the stairs, “There’s gotta be like, some book or some _one_ we can ask to break the curse.”

George crossed his arms. “How’d you get cursed anyway? Was it the wololo dude from yesterday?”

“Probably. You know that tingly feeling I told you about? It still hasn’t gone away.” 

George made a face, “Of all the things it could have cursed you with, it went with a love curse? Why didn’t it just like, make your arms fall off or something? Why’s _it_ so interested in your love life? That’s like, so weird and creepy.”

Now that he thought about it, it did seem really weird. It was like some strangers had suddenly taken interest in his love life and decided to push him around to meet their own agendas.

“Yeah that’s…really strange.” he muttered, before suddenly remembering the whole reason he’d gone out. He put his satchel down on the table and rifled through it. “Oh yeah I got you apples.” he watched his friend’s face light up.

“Apples? For me? Oh you’re too kind, Dream.”

He pulled the red fruits out along with the bottle of juice. “Fuck.”

George’s head shot up in concern, “What happened?”

Dream had lined up all the apples neatly on the table. He gestured at them wildly with his hands, “Look at them! They’re bruised! I must have bruised them when I got chased!”

“I don’t care how they look, all that matters to me is that they still taste the same,” George grabbed one and took a bite out of it. It was crisp and juicy sweet. He briefly considered pouring himself a glass of apple juice to go with it as well, but decided against it since Dream was here. “You nearly got assaulted trying to get me apples and now you’re upset that they got bruised?”

“Yes!” Dream buried his face in his hands with a groan, “It was supposed to be a nice surprise!”

George shook his head, crunching through the apple, “Dream, you really need to get your priorities straight.”

“I was never straight in the first place.”

There was a brief moment of silence before it was interrupted by the loud crunch of an apple.

“Yeah, how did that go for you earlier?” George said, “Was it just girls or both girls and guys.”

“Both.” Dream sighed and went to go look for his mask. He really needed it now.

“Oh.” George said, finishing his apple and throwing the core away.

“What’s wrong?” he came out of his room, mask in his hands. It was still slightly scorched from yesterday, but he put it on anyway and breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Well I was hoping we’d only have to take on half the city’s population, but I guess we’ve got both to deal with.” he wiped his hands on his shirt, “So what’s the plan?”

“Plan? What makes you think I have a plan?” Dream peeked over the balcony, checking to see if anyone had followed him back. Thankfully there was no one at the door. The curse seemed to only work when people saw his face. “Have you ever heard of anyone getting cursed?”

George thought for a moment, “No, but Bad probably has since he does magic. He’s got wings and horns and everything.”

“George you’re a genius!” Dream spun away from the window, punching the air with mask in hand. “Let’s go! Bad can probably cure me in seconds!”

“Wait hang on.” George vanished into his room for a few moments before reemerging with his sword strapped to his belt.

There was a moment that their eyes met, Dream’s anxious green with George’s serious brown. The mood of the room darkened considerably.

“We’re uh- we’re not actually going to _need_ to stab anyone, right?” Dream said quietly, the gravity of the situation dawning on him, “It won’t get that bad.”

“I don’t know, Dream.” George pulled his cloak over the sword, obscuring it from view, “I’m not going to take any chances.”

Dream took a deep breath. “Okay.” he said, grabbing his sword as well. He was fine using the blade on monsters, but he wasn’t so sure about innocent people under a curse. Would it really come down to that? George was right, they’d have to play it safe. The sooner he got to Bad the better. 

He secured his mask over his face and threw his hood up. The two of them ran down the stairs together, Dream stopping at the door. He checked again to make sure his face was completely covered.

“Ready?” he turned to George.

“Ready.” George said, a hand resting on the pommel of his sword. There was something protective burning in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme just say, apples are the way to a person’s heart. If someone gave me apples out of the blue I’d marry ‘em on the spot. They're also great objects to use for metaphors and foreshadowing.


	4. Blind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a personal headcanon, I’ve always drawn Bad with horns and wings so I figured I’d incorporate that in here cause I can. I like to think that he’s an actual angel.

Dream was barely out the door before a passerby stopped and hit him with a pick up line.

“Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?”

“Yes.” Dream grumbled. He knew all too well about love at first sight. Before they could get in another word he turned around and hurriedly slammed the door shut. “This isn’t going to work.” he said to George, “It’s getting worse!”

“All the more reason to get to Bad. He’ll be able to break the curse.” George reached up and yanked Dream’s hood down so it covered his entire face. “There, now no one’ll be able to see you.”

“Yeah, but I can’t see shit either!” he complained, voice muffled by his mask and the new layer of fabric. If he looked straight down, he could maybe see the floor.

George opened the door again, grabbing his hand and pulling him outside. “Don’t worry Dream, I’ll be your loyal guide dog.”

Dream had no choice but to follow, tripping a bit on his own feet. “Don’t you dare run me into a wall.”

“I won’t.” George said, and immediately ran him into a pillar.

“ _GEORGE_!” he yelled over his friend’s laughter, “What the heck is wrong with you!?”

“Oops, I’ll be more careful now.” he passed under an archway, “Duck.”

“Ow!” The warning came too late and Dream hit his head against the bottom. He felt the wood of his mask slam into his nose and cheeks. His face was going to be horribly bruised by the end of the day. “George I swear-”

“Not my fault you’re tall.” George smirked. But after that he stopped his trolling, silently and diligently leading Dream through the crowded streets. He only spoke up to warn him of incoming arches or low-hanging tarps.

After an eternity of watching stone tiles pass under his feet, he finally felt George stop.

“We’re here,” he heard his friend say, knocking on the door.

Dream figured it was safe enough now for him to throw back his hood. It was stifling under the thick fabric and he really needed a breather.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing the familiar horned silhouette of their friend. “Dream and George!” Bad exclaimed, “What’re you guys doing here?”

“Hey Bad.” Out of habit, he took his mask off.

“No don’t look!" George threw himself in front of him, arms outstretched. He was slightly too short to successfully block his face.

Dream realized his mistake and instantly slapped the mask back on. Ow. There was definitely going to be bruises now.

“Why?” Bad’s eyebrows drew together in concern. He showed no signs of being affected by the curse, despite having gotten a good look at Dream’s face. "Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

“Dream can’t show his pretty face anymore without people instantly falling in love with him.” George explained. “Got himself cursed by an evoker.” 

Dream didn’t even hear the last bit about the evoker. His mind had stopped working. _Pretty_? Did George really think he was pretty? 

“An evoker?” Bad echoed, his eyes wide, “Are you sure? The last time I checked, evokers can’t curse people. They just summon fangs and vexes.”

“So that’s what those flying things are called!” Dream exclaimed a little too loudly, trying to shake himself out of his thoughts.

At the same time George muttered, “ _Fangs_ , not _gators_.”

“Hmm well it sounds like you _did_ see an evoker, but a _love_ curse?” Bad said, still skeptical, “That’s nonsense! Why would an evoker hit you with a _love_ curse?”

“You think _I_ know?” Dream threw his hands in the air. “We were just fighting the guy and the next thing I knew, boom! Lightning and then everyone starts hitting me with pick up lines!”

“Okay okay, let’s back up here for a moment,” Bad put his hands out, “So you’re telling me, that you fought an _evoker_ , who struck you with _lightning_ , and then _cursed_ you so that anytime someone sees your face, they fall in love with you? Do you realize just how ridiculous that sounds!?”

“Yes!” Dream said, “I can’t believe it either!”

“And this isn’t even taking into consideration the fact that evokers can’t actually curse people.” Bad finished, putting a hand to his face, “Oh my goodness. All of this is telling me only one thing.” He crossed his arms and gave them both a disapproving stare, “Are you two trying to troll me?”

“No, we promise we’re not!” George protested, “Skeppy didn’t send us!”

“Yeah your boyfriend didn’t send us, Bad.” Dream chuckled.

Bad’s face flushed at that statement, “He’s _not_ my boyfriend!” he yelled.

Dream and George looked at each other. “Sure.” they chorused in unison.

“Oh my goodness.” Bad covered his face with a hand, “I swear, if _Skeppy_ sent you two-”

“No he didn’t-!” George protested.

“He didn’t, please, believe us.” Dream stepped forward, carefully taking off his mask and looking at his winged friend. “I really need your help, Bad.”

Bad’s eyes met Dream’s, and his face visibly paled. “Oh my goodness, you weren’t kidding.” he gasped, “There’s an enchantment glint all over you!" he immediately wrapped Dream in a hug, curling his wings around him as well. “Oh my poor muffin, what _happened_?” 

“Like we said.” Dream’s voice was slightly muffled by all the feathers, “Evoker.”

Bad let go of him, shaking his head, “I didn’t know it was possible. I’m sorry for doubting you guys.”

George had watched the entire exchange with concern, especially when Dream took off his mask and Bad immediately hugged him. He didn’t want to have to fight off whatever Bad was with just a sword. “Bad, why isn’t it working on you?”

“Oh I look with my head, not with my eyes.” Bad said, tapping his head, “You learn to do that after a while.”

“Okay what about George then?” Dream nudged him with a shoulder, “Why doesn’t it work on him?”

“George?” Bad locked eyes with George. “George looks with his heart.”

His heart? “What the fu–”

“ _Language_!”

“–heck is that supposed to mean?” he sputtered, fighting down a blush as his heart started to race. Of course Bad knew.

“I bet it’s cause he’s blind.” Dream snickered, thankfully oblivious to what Bad was implying. _Or not interested._

“ _Colour_ blind!” Indignation gave George a welcome distraction.

“He can’t see what color the grass is.”

“I can’t see what colour _you_ are.” George shoved him. “You’re piss yellow to me without my glasses.”

Dream ignored him. “Is there anything you can do about it, Bad? Can you break the curse?”

“I mean, probably,” Bad shrugged. “You’re absolutely _sure_ it’s a love curse, right?”

“I’m quite sure.” Dream said, before asking, “Why, are there other love curses?”

“Oh yeah, plenty.” Bad mused, lost in thought, “I remember reading about love curses that turned people to stone if they didn’t find their true love, or left them as frogs.” he suddenly brightened, “Oh! There was another instance of love at first sight!”

“What happened to them?” Dream asked. Hopefully, he could just copy what they did and break the curse.

“I think they ended up getting dismembered.” Bad said, completely oblivious to the growing looks of horror on Dream and George’s faces. “You see, this curse is about the physical aspects of love, not the romantic aspects. People under the curse don’t actually _love_ you, they just feel an overwhelming need to be close to you. It’s like, you know when you see something adorable, like a puppy or a baby, you just feel like squishing its little cheeks? Same thing here.”

“Oh, so they don’t want to, you know, _do the thing_ , they just rip you apart.” George so helpfully clarified.

“Yup!” Bad chirped brightly, “That’s what makes it a curse!”

“Holy _shit_!” Dream exclaimed, clapping a hand to his forehead, “I thought it was just going to be pick up lines, not dismemberment!”

“You know how I was joking earlier about why the evoker couldn’t just curse you so that your arms fell off?” George said, “Well now I guess it did.”

Dream whirled around, “ _George_!”

George shrugged, “I’m just sayin’,”

“Oh my goodness.” Dream groaned, invoking Bad’s most signature phrase. “Bad, _please_ tell me you can get this thing off me.”

“Hmm I can try. Stand still.” Bad waved a hand in an arc in front of Dream. The air grew charged and Dream stiffened as he suddenly felt something tug at his soul. 

“Well, it’s not budging.” Bad frowned, “At most I can make it slightly less bad.”

Dream felt his heart sink. “How much less bad?”

“Well it was progressing to a full-body curse, but now just covering your face should be enough.” he gave them an incredulous look, “How did you two manage to get _all the way here_ without being chased?”

“I covered Dream with his cloak and led him here.” George said, “Yeah I know, I’m a genius.”

“I was practically blind!” Dream protested.

Bad shook his head. “Well I think I know how you can break the curse yourself, Dream. Usually curses are broken by the same thing they’re made out of, so for a love curse you just need a true love’s kiss.” He fell silent afterwards, looking expectantly at Dream and George with a small smile on his face.

“Bull _shit_!” Dream exploded, his eyes wild, “That’s so dumb, you’re saying that I have to go around kissing random people and hoping that they’re my ‘true love’ or some shit? Oh, and not to mention, everyone’s out there to _dismember_ me!”

“ _Language_!” Bad yelled, before putting a hand on Dream’s shoulder to calm him down, "Look Dream, I know it sounds kinda mushy, but I think you just need to find someone who loves you for who you are, not how you look.” he said kindly, “That outta break the curse.”

George felt his blood run cold. His heart rate had slowly been returning to normal but now it was racing again, clashing with the ice in his veins and making his face burn. He quickly snuck a look at Dream, hoping for even the smallest glance in his direction, but his friend only sighed and put his mask back on his face.

“Well, guess that’s the best we got.” his voice sounded tired, resigned, “C’mon George.”

Bad looked like he wanted to say something more, his eyes darting over to George, but decided against it. “Good luck Dream. Stay safe, okay?”

“I will. Thanks for everything, Bad.” He threw up his hood, turning away.

George felt Bad’s eyes land on him again and shivered. “Yeah, thanks Bad.”

Their friend nodded, “Of course. Come see me if you muffins ever need anything, okay?” He gave them a little wave as the door closed, leaving the two of them standing in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the stakes have been raised. If you don’t believe me about what Bad was saying, look up cute aggression. It’s a very real thing.


	5. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I don’t write angst. I tried once and it turned into sarcasm.  
> Now watch me talk about relationships as if I’ve had one.
> 
> **UPDATED CONTENT WARNING: DREAM'S EX. see endnotes for disclaimer**

“Well at least you can walk around on your own now.” George began, trying to lighten the mood. He’d taken the love curse pretty seriously, as he was always concerned for Dreams’s safety, but he’d never imagined it’d get as serious as dismemberment.

Dream was understandably quiet. The folds of his cloak drooped off his tall figure, giving him a wilted appearance. “Yeah, but for how long?” he finally said, straightening. “Bad only managed to slow the curse down, not stop it entirely.” He grabbed George’s hand and began striding back to the main street, urgency fueling his steps. “I don’t know how long I have until it starts again.”

George smiled at his friend’s fierce determination. Dream was never one to give up, even against insurmountable odds. It’s what made him win, time and time again, when even George had given up. He felt his friend’s spirit rise a bit more when they reached the busy street and no one so much as glanced in his direction. His shoulders straightened and he cut through the crowd effortlessly (something George had struggled at earlier), using his height to his advantage. They reached an intersection and Dream immediately took a left. 

“Uhhhh… Dream?” Warning signs suddenly flashed in his head. Their loft was in the south of town, not the north. “Where’re we going?” He had an inkling suspicion of where, and it was not good.

“To see Sam.” the answer came through gritted teeth. _Not good not good_.

“Sam? Your…ex?” George ran slightly in front of him, looking at him in concern. He felt his own heart breaking, but he pushed it aside for the sake of his friend. “You think that’s a good idea?”

Dream flung his hands into the air. “I don’t know! Got any better ideas?”

He did but…it couldn’t possibly end well. George settled for shaking his head. “Dream, you can’t possibly still think that she loves you, right?”

“Maybe!” he said defensively, before falling into a more resigned tone “maybe…”

George pushed a hand against his chest, stopping him.

“What the heck Geo-” his protests were instantly cut off by the intensity of his friend’s expression.

George’s brown eyes were steely behind his glasses as he leveled his gaze at him. “Dream, you need to promise me that this won’t hurt you even more. The last thing you need is to have your heart broken again.” _Nevermind my own_.

“I’ll be fine, George.” he tried to shrug his hand off.

“Fine?” George smirked, giving his friend a sideways glance. “Cause last time I remember a certain someone going silent for almost an entire day before suddenly bursting into tears the moment I finally asked you what was wrong.”

“It was all a misunderstanding!” Dream pushed past him and continued on his path.

“Oh, just a ‘misunderstanding’?” George mocked, a burning anger fueling his words, “She cheated on you!”

“Then I should have been better!” he yelled, his voice raw with regret.

_No, you_ deserve _better_.

George rolled his eyes. “Dream, Bad said the curse will only be broken if you find someone who loves you back, not just someone you love.”

“It can’t hurt to try.” he said determinedly.

“Fine, but if anything goes wrong-”

“I’ve got you.” Dream finished simply, “Bros before hoes.”

“Yeah, _Dream_.” George stuck his tongue out at him, “How dare you get a girlfriend and leave me and Sapnap behind.”

“ _Me_ -!? _Sapnap_ was the one who moved out and _bailed_ on the two of us!” he threw a hand in the air, “In fact, had he gone to fight the evoker with us, I probably wouldn’t have gotten cursed!”

“Shut up, you’re such a simp.” he teased.

“You’re the only one who’s still single.” Dream shot back, a smirk in his voice.

George felt a smile coming on. “So are you.”

“Yeah but I wasn’t _always_ single.” Dream was smiling too, temporarily lost in their banter.

They decided that while the curse was weakened, they should stop for lunch. It was late afternoon already and George hadn’t eaten anything except for the apple in morning. Dream hadn’t eaten anything at all. They had to hide in an alleyway after getting their food so that Dream could eat freely without being seen, but filling their stomachs did wonders to lift their spirits. Dream was almost back to his old self, laughing and joking with George as they walked the rest of the way to his ex’s house.

George stopped at the edge of the street, leaving Dream to approach the door alone. He strode up confidently, raised a hand to knock, and then froze.

“Um,” he looked back at George for encouragement, suddenly feeling incredibly lost.

“What’re you looking at me for?” George said, crossing his arms, “I’ll just be over here so I don’t have to watch you two smash your faces together.” He felt his chest surge with jealousy at that thought but quickly tamped it down. Now was not the time.

“I just-” Dream began, before failing to find anything to back himself up with. “Um.”

“Look, it was _your_ idea.”

“Right.” he cleared his throat and knocked. And waited. And waited. And waited.

After what seemed to be hours the door finally opened. Then immediately slammed shut.

“Sam!” Dream grabbed the handle, pulling on it, “Please, I need your help!”

The door swung open a crack, “What do you want?” Sam’s voice sounded annoyed, but it was also colored with a more fragile emotion. Guilt? Regret? “I thought we agreed to not see each other anymore.”

“I know we did, but something’s happened.” There was a desperate tone in his voice. “I really need your help, Sam.”

The door opened a bit more, enough for Sam to see Dream fully, “You’re wearing that weird mask of yours again.” she sighed, “Grow up, Dream.”

Dream cringed internally. “Please, I just want to try something.” he reached up and slowly took the mask off.

Instantly, the sour expression on her face melted away. Her eyes widened in delicate surprise and she stepped out, entranced, “Dream?”

“Yes?” he said, stepping closer. A hopeful smile graced his features.

She reached out a hand, brushing his hair back and cupping his face. He leaned into it, closing his eyes. “Dream, I...I think I really missed you.”

“Yeah?” he breathed, gently putting his arms around her shoulders. “I missed you too.” They drew closer together, bodies entwining in a once-familiar embrace.

Then Sam seized his head and violently yanked him towards her so that their lips smashed together. Dream left out a muffled scream as she dug her nails into his back, trapping him in a claw-like grip. He frantically slammed his hands into her chest, breaking free. “GEORGE!” he screamed, holding her away as she tried to seize his face again, “GEORGE SAVE MEEEEE!”

George was already rushing in, hurriedly grabbing Sam and hauling her away, “Oh my god get _off_ of him!”

She fought back vehemently, kicking and thrashing as he struggled to keep her from latching back onto Dream, “Fuck off, that’s _my_ boyfriend you useless twink!”

“AAAAAH!” George screamed as Sam managed to club him in the eye, knocking his glasses askew. “DREAM!"

Dream was frozen in place, his eyes distant.

“ _DREEEEAM_!” he screamed again, this time effortlessly shooting through several octaves.

It was enough to shake Dream from his trance. He looked up, eyes unfocused and confused.

“Oh my god stop _standing_ there looking _heartbroken_!” George yelled at him, “Get over here and open the damn door for me!”

“Wha- OH!” Comprehension filled his eyes and he sprang into action. Dream rushed around them, dodging Sam’s grabbing hands, and threw open the door just as George pushed her through. Then he slammed the door shut, leaving them in silence.

George immediately glared at him, “Dream, what the fuck?”

“I had to know!” he yelled in his own defense.

“Dream, that was an absolute _dick ass_ move!” he grabbed his friend and angrily steered him away into an alleyway. Hopefully no one would see them there, especially since Dream’s face was exposed and he looked too heartbroken to remember to put on his mask. “You knowingly _used_ your curse on your ex just because your sensitive _ass_ couldn’t accept that she didn’t love you anymore.” He sat him down on some crates.

Dream just stared emptily ahead. “I know I really shouldn’t have, but for a moment I thought-”

“You thought what? That someone who cheated on you would still love you back?” Sometimes he forgot that Dream was several years younger than him. In everything else they were on equal footing, but right now, sitting on the crate alone he really looked like a kid who’d just had his heart broken for the first time. “You need to move on, Dream.” 

“Yeah but…” he voice broke and he looked away, “I had to know.”

George sighed and sat down beside him. He couldn’t stay angry at Dream, not when he was at his most vulnerable. “You’re hopeless romantic, you know that?”

Dream buried his face in his hands, “George, what am I going to do now?”

George was silent for a moment, thinking. A part of him was absolutely overjoyed that Sam didn’t love Dream anymore, but another part, one that cared deeply about his friend, couldn’t be more upset. He didn’t even know why he bothered thinking he had a chance. Just because his girlfriend was out of the way didn’t mean George had the confidence to fill that void in. He sighed, shelving his feelings away. “I dunno, got any secret crushes we should go find?” 

“No, there’s no one except-” Dream broke off, looking away, “Nevermind.”

“Except who?” _See, no chance at all_.

“Nothing.” he growled, brow furrowed.

“Dream.” George said gently, “If there’s anyone who can possibly save you, you need to go find them. You don’t even have to tell me, okay? Just promise me you’ll go find them.”

“No it won’t work.” he said, “Bad said I needed to find someone who loved me back. It won’t work if it’s one sided.”

He was right. Both of them had just seen how well that went.

“Well what do we do now?”

“Go home, I guess.” Dream slumped against the wall, “I’ll just have to stay indoors and see if the curse’ll wear off on its own.”

George snapped his head over to look at his friend in shock. He was never one to give up so easily. “Dream, you can’t do that!” he frantically searched for an excuse, “Remember? You, me, and Sapnap are in that tournament next week! How’re you supposed to beat the king when you can’t even show your face?”

Dream laughed, a bitter smile on his face, “Techno wants to dismember me anyway. It’ll be a better way to go than at the hands of a mob.”

“No, not like that,” George shook his head, “He’s your friend, Dream, and so am I.” he put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. “We’ll always be there for you, okay Dream?”

Dream sighed and rested his head on his shoulder. The patch of pale sky above the alleyway was darkening to blue, the golden hue of the afternoon slowly seeping away. “Can we just sit here for a moment? It’s been a long day.”

“Of course, Dream.” George said, tilting his head up to the sky as well.

The two of them sat together in silence as afternoon stretched into evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In light of recent news, I realize that talking about Dream's ex in a fic probably isn't the best thing to do. I've been debating changing the name or replacing the character, but I have a policy where if I publish something in a fic, I can't unpublish it because it's a record of my work and how I've improved over time. It is also a record of fandom and how fandom has progressed. As you might have seen from the events referenced in this fic, this was written in early July, or a long, long time ago in fandom terms. Back then, we knew very little of Dream's ex and this fic reflects that. However, this fic still gets a shocking amount of reads and kudos despite me no longer considering it my best work. I do not want new readers to think that mentioning things like this is okay anymore. It is outdated and no longer appropriate in this time, but I will be keeping it because it is a record of the time that it was written so that others may learn from it. I am in no way excusing my past actions, and I know this certainly isn't the best thing I could do, but I just wanted to provide my perspective on this and hope that you understand what I am trying to do.


	6. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was writing emails yesterday and every time I started an email with _dear_ my fingers went _drea_ because I’ve typed Dream too many times in the past week. Anyway, last chapter. (also longest, about ⅓ of the entire works’ word count). Sorry this took so long, it was giving me a hard time for reasons that may or may not be related to the fact that I can’t write romance.
> 
> Also, slight trigger warning for the more sensitive people out there. I’m not spoiling anything but do remember that this curse may result in dismemberment. It’s only very light violence though because I am a sensitive muffin as well and nothing I write will ever go over pg-13.

The sun was setting and George couldn’t just sit there anymore. His butt hurt from the uncomfortable crate and his entire right arm had gone to sleep under the weight of Dream’s head. “Dream.” he said, gently trying to push him off his shoulder, “Dream, let me up.”

His friend didn’t respond. He sat there silently, head still stubbornly on his shoulder.

“Dream.” He gave him a shove, but he was too heavy for him to move. “Oh my god you’re an actual _child_.” Giving up on all niceties, he abruptly stood up, leaving Dream to fend for himself.

Dream just slumped back and stared straight ahead.

George ignored him and stretched. He still couldn’t feel his arm. When he was finally satisfied that all his bones were back in place, he checked back on Dream. His friend hadn’t budged an inch and seemed to be attempting to become a statue. A scowl was on his face. Clearly something was still bothering him.

“You okay there, Dream?” He always got concerned whenever Dream went silent. Usually it meant he’d been pushed too far.

“I’ve been thinking-” Dream began.

“That’s good.” they’d been sitting there for a good half hour, he should hope Dream had done something during that.

“It’s just- this is all so stupid!” he blustered, throwing his arms out, “All this stupid curse has done is rubbed it in my face that no one _actually_ loves me!”

“Oh my god Dream, stop being a drama queen.” George rolled his eyes, “I’m sure _someone_ loves you.” But whether he loved them back was an ordeal he didn’t want to go through.

“Okay, who?” Dream demanded, “Name _one_ person who loves me.”

“Mmmm….Your mom.”

“ _GEORGE!_ ” Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say. He thought he had gotten Dream calmed down earlier, but it appeared that he was hurting far deeper than George had originally thought. Dream surged to his feet, fists clenched at his sides. “You’re not helping!”

“Okay okay, sorry.” he said, putting his hands up in defense, “Calm down, Dream.”

“Not even Sam loves me!” his motions were agitated, wild.

“Oh, this is still about your ex, isn’t it?” George fought to keep down a bitter wave of jealousy, “Get over her, Dream. It’ll be okay.”

“Stop telling me it’s okay!” he yelled, “It’s not okay!”

“Well what the fuck do you want me to do about it then, _Dream_?” George snapped, finally letting all his pent up emotion explode, “I’ve been putting up with your shit all day and honestly? I’m sick and tired of you being a crybaby.”

“You don’t understand, you’ll never understand!” his friend instantly turned on him, directing his anger at him, “You’ve never had your heart broken before! Do you know what that feels like?” he didn’t even wait for him to answer, “It’s like the whole world’s fallen out under your feet, leaving you _broken_ and _alone_!”

“I’ve felt that before!” George shot back, “Every morning I wake up and it feels like I have to tiptoe around on _glass_!”

“That’s _bullshit_! Who do you even like?” Dream’s face twisted into a cruel sneer, “C’mon Georgie, tell me who loves you.”

George fell silent, his face unreadable behind his glasses.

“Exactly. So stop telling me it’s okay when everything’s gone to _shit_!”

“You know what? I take it back.” George finally said, “You were right earlier. All this curse has done is proven that no one loves you. Not for your looks, and especially not for your shitty personality.”

The moment the words left his mouth he realized it was the wrong thing to say.

Dream slowly turned and glared at him, his eyes blazing. There was so much anger burning in those eyes, but also tears of fear and betrayal glistening in the corners. Dream stood and stalked away. He didn’t know where he was going, but he needed to get away from George. The mouth of the alleyway beckoned and he rushed towards it. In his anger, he’d momentarily forgotten about the curse.

“Oh fuck.” Dream said. The situation definitely called for a stronger word than muffins.

The streets were filled with the evening crowd. Under the siren song of his curse, a hundred heads turned and locked onto him. Shouting filled the air, yells of promised love and affection, screaming about his green eyes and golden locks. The crowd rushed towards him like a wave, dousing his burning anger with the freezing cold waters of terror.

“ARGHABLBLAERGHBLAGAH!” he screamed, immediately turning tail and sprinting back down the alleyway. He tried to see if George had followed him, but his heart sank when he failed to spot his familiar blue in the crowd. Why would he? Dream had given him no reason to. In his anger he had lashed out at his best friend, the only other person who wasn’t affected by the curse. The only one who could save him.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck. He messed up, big time.

To add to his list of worries, he was quickly running out of empty alleyway. Up ahead, he could see it open up to another busy street. As he frantically searched the walls for ladders, or loose bricks, or anything to escape with, something caught the end of his cloak.

“AH!” The fabric jerked against his neck, nearly choking him and making him stumble. The small misstep cost him his lead and immediately hands latched onto his shoulders and arms, dragging him down.

“GEORGE!” he screamed, his first instinct to call for his friend. Then the air was knocked out of his lungs and he could scream no more. People crowded around him, their bodies blocking out the sun as they piled on top of him, tearing at his clothes, his hair, his skin. He fumbled for his sword, but the hands seized his arms and _pulled_ \- This was it, he was going to get dismembered.

It was in this moment of weakness that he remembered a legend he’d heard on his adventures. Whispers of heroes, dying only to reappear just as alive as before. Respawn, they called it. A second chance at life. He hadn’t believed them at the time, but now he prayed that it might be true. He wasn’t ready to die yet, not when his last words to George had been fueled by anger. He didn’t even get to apologize, and if he could, he would look him in the eyes and say-

“Get away from him!”

His heart leapt at the familiar voice. The weight on top of him vanished and he briefly saw a flash of steel. Reinvigorated, he shoved the bodies off of him, untangling hands from his limbs and fighting his way back to the land of the living. A hand suddenly grabbed his and he flinched, immediately attempting to throw it off.

“DREAM!” George exclaimed in relief, pulling him back onto his feet. He had his sword out, the vicious blade enough to discourage even those most strongly affected by the curse. “Dream don’t worry it’s me!”

“GEORGE!” he immediately latched onto him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “I’m sorry!”

“Oh my god calm down!” George panicked, trying to keep his sword leveled at the crowd. And to stop his heart from bursting out of his chest.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I take back everything I said _please_ forgive me George!” He buried his face in his shoulder.

“I don’t care, Dream, I’m sorry too so it’s not important anymore!” he grabbed his hand, “Here!” A warm piece of metal was pressed into his palm. “Just in case we get separated again!”

He opened his hand and saw the totem of undying that he’d given George, its emerald eyes glittering up at his own. Dream immediately tried to give it back to him, “You realize that isn’t an instant save-all, right? It’ll bring me back but if I’m missing limbs, I’ll just end up bleeding to death!”

“Keep it.” George pushed his hand back to him, his eyes serious. “It should give me enough time to get to you.”

By now the crowd had grown impatient, people darting out to grab at Dream before a swipe from George sent them scurrying back to safety. But they still stuck around them, circling them like hungry wolves.

“Who do you think you are?” a girl yelled, throwing a stone at George, “His boyfriend?”

“ _Best_ friend.” George said coolly, deflecting the stone off the blade of his sword, “Now back off and let us through. It’s a curse, you see. You’re not thinking straight!”

“Well I mean _she_ is.” Dream joked, trying to lighten the mood, “I don’t know about- _oof_!” he doubled over in pain as George jabbed him with the pommel of his sword.

“Stop making stupid jokes Dream! You literally almost just got _dismembered_!”

As if to further drive his point home, a man thrust a knife into the air and yelled, “Give him to us, he’s ours!”

“Holy shit!” Dream drew his sword as well, holding it in front of him as the crowd pressed closer. What little humor left in his eyes was gone.

“Yeah! Hand him over!” the crowd jeered, “Give him to us!”

“Did you happen to grab my mask?” Dream asked urgently as they pressed their backs together, facing the crowd on both sides.

“I didn’t have time!” George shook his head, “I saw you fly by me chased by like, a _million_ people and I just got up and ran after you!”

“It’s too late anyway.” he caught several rocks on his blade and hissed in pain when a brick hit his side, “Fuck, we’re completely surrounded!”

“Uh,” George’s eyes darted around, searching for an opening in the crowd...There! Between an old lady and a boy who looked like he wasn’t older than sixteen. _Gross_. He grabbed Dream’s hand and charged the crowd with a scream, “ _rUN!_ ”

People dove out of the path of his sword, parting like water around a sponge. The end of the alleyway neared, and ahead, the threat of another busy street rapidly approached. Dream noticed it as well and tugged on his hand, “George, what’re you-”

“It’s not like we have anywhere else to go!”

They barreled into the crowded street, pushing and shoving to reach the safety of the alley just on the other side. Something caught George’s sword, tearing it out of his grasp. Without his weapon, hands began to grab at him, trying to slow him down. He fought back, knocking people away to keep them off Dream.

“Get him! Get him!” he couldn’t tell if they were yelling about him or Dream. They were almost there...

“AH!” A fist slammed into the side of his head, the force of the blow knocking his glasses off his face. Color drained from the world as he fell, and distantly, he heard someone call his name.

“GEORGE!” It was Dream. He’d stopped at the mouth of the alleyway, body partially turned like he wanted to go back for him.

“RUN DREAM!” He hit the floor with his shoulder and rolled, lifting his arms to shield his face from the people trampling over him. A foot stomped into his stomach, nearly making him black out in pain. “AHHHHH!” he screamed, struggling to keep the darkening edges of his vision at bay. He curled up on himself, trying to make his profile as small as possible through the mass of bodies. 

“GEORGE!” Dream screamed his name again, this time desperation spilling from his voice.

“Just go!” he yelled after the yellow blob of his friend. “I’m fine!” Relief filled him as the figure grew smaller, hidden by the churning mass of people. He was getting away.

Then shouts and cries erupted from the crowd, the tide of people turning on itself and flowing backwards. A dark blade cut through the air, dragging swathes of burning violet in its wake. George ducked and covered his head as people began jumping over him again, running for their lives. He felt something grab him around the middle, hauling him to his feet and pulling him along. His eyes shot open. “Dream!”

Dream pulled him into the relative safety of the alleyway, swinging his sword in deadly arcs over the crowd.

“Dream what the hell are you doing?” George clutched his side as he struggled to keep pace with him, “I told you to go!”

“I can’t let you get hurt because of me.” his eyes were focused, dangerous. “It’s _my_ curse, not yours.” He aimed a swipe at a person who tried to grab the end of his cloak and they backed off, fleeing from the blade that countless ender dragons had died upon.

“You haven’t actually hit anyone yet, right?” he risked a glance behind him. They’d managed to lose a bit of the original mob when they’d crossed the street.

“So far, no.” The tone of his voice suggested that he would if George was in danger again.

George felt his face flush and he immediately looked away, instead searching the alley for escape routes. They needed to get out before they hit the next road further up. Without his sword, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up with Dream.

“Up ahead, look!” he pointed at a door in the alley walls. “If we’re quick, we can run inside and barricade the door!”

“George, you’re a genius!” Dream grinned widely at their first glimmer of hope.

They put on an extra burst of speed and rushed to the door. George kept a lookout while Dream struggled to open it. “Hurry up they’re almost here!”

“It’s locked!” he shouted in frustration, before grabbing his sword and jamming the point into the metal. The lock didn’t stand a chance. He forced the door open with his shoulder. “Nevermind!”

They threw themselves inside, slamming the door shut just as the mob reached them. George braced himself against the wood, holding it shut as it rattled under their abuse. Dream rushed off to find things to barricade it with. They seemed to have entered a storage house and he quickly found several heavy wooden crates to shove in front of the door.

“Think that’ll hold them?” George asked anxiously, listening to the pounding of fists on wood.

“Dunno. There’s got to be another exit somewhere.”

They searched the entire bottom floor of the storehouse, finding nothing except for the door they’d come in from. The pounding grew louder.

“Quick, upstairs!” George grabbed Dream’s hand and led him up several floors, all windowless and filled with crates. Finally, they reached the top floor, where a large, sliding window took up one wall. George gasped and pulled it open, hoping that they could escape onto the roof, but immediately threw himself back inside.

“Don’t go out there!” he yelled to Dream. “It opens to a balcony right over the main street! You’ll get seen in seconds!”

“Then where else do we go?” Dream threw his arms out, “There’s nowhere else!”

“I don’t know!” George frantically checked the balcony again. Even if Dream was quick, there was no way they could get onto the roof. It was too far up. He ducked back inside, “There’s no way out!”

Silence greeted his words as the direness of their situation set in. They were trapped. It would only be a matter of time until the mob managed to break down the door.

Dream slumped against a wall and slid down to the floor. “George, what am I going to _do_?” His voice was no more than a whisper. “I’m going to die here.”

George slowly sat down across from him. “Don’t say that,” he said, trying to think of something, _anything_ , to make the situation better. He failed.

“I’m- I’m _sorry_.” he began instead, “About everything. I shouldn’t have made fun of you when you needed me the most, I should have been a better- a better _friend_. It was my idea to run in here and now we’re trapped with no way out.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Dream interrupted, taking his hands and holding onto them tightly. “I should be the one apologizing. You’ve put up with me all day, saved my ass more times than I could count, and I still lashed out at you in the end.” he shook his head, “Heck, I should have been more careful in the mansion. Then none of this would have happened.”

“Yeah, dumbass.” George muttered.

He gave him a sad smile, “If anything happens and I-” he swallowed and continued, “Just promise me you won’t blame yourself afterwards. There was nothing you could do.” he spoke kindly now, with the calm of someone who’d finally made peace with death. “You tried your best, George. You’re my best friend, I wouldn’t have rather had anyone else by my side.”

“Not even your true love?” he shouldn’t have said that. It was like showing a hanged man his salvation.

Dream shook his head, “No George, you’re much more important to me than that. Besides, true love’s kiss? I bet it’s not even real.”

It was real. He knew it was.

George tore his hands out of Dream’s grasp and buried his face in them. Dream was going to die and here he was freaking out about- about- He was so _selfish_ , so selfish and scared and _cowardly_. Dream’s life was on the line and he couldn’t bring himself to admit his stupid little crush-

Well it wasn’t little. It was in everything he did, every word, every breath, just walking beside him, being in the same room with him. It was in the way he laughed, or wheezed, his kindness and bravery. How he never gave up, using his skill with the sword, his wit, his cleverness to get them out of any kind of situation. It was the way he could always make him laugh, turn any serious situation on its head with a single stupid joke. It was even exchanged in angry words, arguments stemming from worry for one another, fights because they _cared_ too much about each other. George was in love, a full, blossoming love that was larger than any dragon they’d slain, any adventure they’d had.

True love’s kiss was real, he knew it, and he would use it to save Dream even if it cost him his friendship because it was all so much bigger than that.

George finally turned to look at him, and nearly jumped in shock.

Dream’s eyes were green.

He could _see_ green, even though his glasses were lost somewhere in an alleyway.

In the dim light they shone like beacons, the vibrant green of emeralds and forests ringed by a darker blue reminiscent to eyes of ender. He felt like he saw Dream, could _see_ Dream, for the first time. But he also saw the curse, and the toll it had taken on him. He saw the claws of lightning that scarred the flesh around his neck, surrounded by dark purple bruises pressed into his skin by too many hands. His eyes were hooded, betraying his utter exhaustion, but underneath, on his tanned cheeks, freckles were scattered like stars, forming constellations marred only by a dark smattering of bruises from his mask. Instinctively, George reached out a hand to wipe them away, gently cupping his cheek.

Dream flinched from his touch, his eyes widening in horror. “No George, not you too.” he whispered.

It hurt him, it pierced his heart to see so much fear in his eyes. But it also set his mind in grim determination. If this worked, he would never have to see that fear again.

“Please, I just want to try something,” he bit his lip, “I don’t know what else to do.”

He drew closer, using the hand still resting on his cheek to gently turn his face towards him. Dream’s eyelashes fluttered, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening right now, but he remained silent. His eyes remained fixated on him, startling green on deep brown.

Was it him, or did Dream just lean closer as well?

Their noses brushed, and then their lips finally met. It was a rather pathetic kiss, one laden with fear and hesitation, but also love. True love.

_BOOM!_ Lightning struck, flooding the room with brilliant white light. It seemed to rush _upwards_ , surging up to the heavens as if something were escaping Dream’s body. The two of them leapt apart, shielding their eyes from the onslaught of light.

When it finally faded away, George kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He didn’t want to open them and face reality, not when the memory of the kiss was still soft on his lips. He’d saved Dream, but lost him at the same time. The silence between them stretched on longer and longer, and George felt cold terror rise inside of him. When Dream went silent-

Something warm brushed against his skin, wiping away the tears he didn’t know had fallen. He felt two hands cupping his face and opened his eyes in surprise to see Dream smiling back at him, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“George.” he said, his voice soft like it was when they were in the mansion. Except he wasn’t fake dying this time. This time, he was safe. Saved by George.

George couldn’t take it anymore. “It… it didn’t work on me because I was already in love.” he admitted, looking away. “I feel horrible.”

“George, I-”

“I told myself it’d be taking advantage of your curse.” he pressed on, determined to lay himself bare, “And then when nothing worked and you were still in trouble, I still couldn’t because I didn’t want to lose you. I was being selfish.”

“George-” 

“And then I-”

Dream grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around him. George hesitated for only a brief moment before hugging back, looping his arms under his and burying his head in his shoulder. He felt the rough scar tissue on his neck press against his skin. It only made him tighten his grip as he remembered how close he’d gotten to losing him.

Dream rested his chin on his head and then turned to one side so he could bury his face in his hair. “I love you, George.” he hummed.

“I- Uh, really?” In shock, George leaned back as far as he could without having to unwrap his arms around Dream.

Dream leaned back as well so he could see his face. “Are you blind? I literally spend all day flirting with you and giving you flowers!” he shook his head, “You’re such an idiot.”

“I thought that was just- oh no.” his mind shot back to when they were in the alleyway. “Your secret crush was me! You thought it was one-sided!?”

“Yes!” Dream exclaimed, throwing his arms up, “I almost died several times to the curse and you never _did_ anything so I assumed you didn’t love me back or else you would’ve just kissed me already!”

A look of immense guilt crossed his face and Dream grabbed his hands, “No no, I don’t mean it like that! It’s not your fault George! _Please_ don’t blame yourself.”

He still felt like he should. “If I hadn’t been so blind, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, you see me now.” he put his arms around him again, holding him so that they could look into each other’s eyes, “I love you, George. Now say it back to me.”

George hesitated, but only for a brief moment. He could see Dream fully in front of him, radiant despite his depths, beautiful even in light of his flaws. And staring into his green eyes, he realized Dream saw him as well. George smiled, the words finally coming easily to his lips.

“I love you, Dream.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it BOYZZZZZZZ George got his mans and I feel like I’ve written an actual fairy tale.
> 
> Might add an epilogue, not sure yet because I kinda lose interest in love stories the moment they kiss and all the tension is over :/
> 
> ...
> 
> Okay now for the F A T author’s note because I can never run out of things to say.
> 
> Who thought my first published fanfic in years would be about these two idiots? (I’m serious, my last fanfic was from 2017 and about dragons). As a writer I always knew I would eventually have to write a kiss scene some day, but I didn’t think it would be in a fanfic about minecraft youtubers. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but the chemistry between Dream and George made it seem so natural and bearable for my poor ace heart. I know I said in ch 1 that I was writing this using placeholder names but by ch 2 I’d gotten into their characters so much that I just started using their actual names without thinking. Their personalities and friendship was just so amazing and I had such an unbelievably good time writing the two of them.
> 
> Now on that positive note,
> 
> Never again.
> 
> I spent a week writing this instead of studying for grad school. I would wake up early every morning, spend all day writing this, and then stay up late at night to keep writing it. I’d average only about a thousand words a day because I’d be so obsessed with choosing the right words.
> 
> ~~It was very fun, but I don’t think the time commitment is something I can do. I’ll just go back to attempting to kudos spam everyone’s works and getting so excited about them in the comment section that I drop all proper english conventions.~~
> 
> **so that was a lie, I wrote more cause I have no self control**
> 
> Anyway thank you all for reading, and I hope you all have the greatest days of your lives.
> 
> [Art I made of Dream and George in this AU](https://maaiams.tumblr.com/post/633452780183535616/has-anyone-seen-dream-you-know-tall-blond)


End file.
